Southwark sets the bar high for school building design

14 March 2018

Southwark Council has created an ambitious set of guidelines for any new school buildings to ensure the best learning environments for our children.

The council adopted its own New Homes Design Standards in 2016 and now plans to follow this with a set of Design Standards for new and existing schools across Southwark.

The new guidelines have been developed using the council’s experience with its current school expansion programme and are intended to be used by clients, architects and developers.

Cllr Victoria Mills, cabinet member for children and schools said: “Our schools should be warm, dry and safe as standard, but they should also provide indoor and outdoor spaces that enhance teaching, learning and play. They should be places where our children are inspired to learn and where teachers feel they have no barriers to delivering the best education.

“Buildings do not have to be new and shiny to do this; well maintained older buildings can be sources of interest and curiosity for our children and can be enhanced with internal improvements and extensions.

“These guidelines set out our ambition for the whole Southwark school network, be they existing schools that need maintenance and improvements, or the next generation of schools that will be built in the borough, particularly in upcoming larger residential developments like Old Kent Road or Canada Water."

The Southwark School Design Guidelines were discussed at the council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 13 March and the recommendation to go out and consult on them was agreed.

Page last updated: 14 March 2018